STAND. COM. REP. NO. 237-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 1892

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1892 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the exclusion of individuals from any educational, recreational, or athletic programs in the public schools on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, Civil Unions-Civil Rights Movement, PFLAG-Oahu, Social Justice Council of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, Gay and Lesbian Education and Advocacy Foundation, The Center, Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition, and several individuals submitted testimony in support of this bill. The Department of Education submitted testimony in support of this bill.

Your Committee finds that discrimination based on sexual orientation, like any other kind of discrimination, has no place in the public schools. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are often physically and verbally harassed at school, and have much higher rates of depression and suicide than other students. Your Committee notes that more precision may need to be applied in describing "sexual orientation" to ensure that this bill is consistent with other laws and anti-discrimination policies and can be effectively applied to protect students. Your Committee respectfully requests that the Committee on Judiciary address this issue.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1892 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair